FRIDAY’S FIVE

Posted on January 25, 2019 by Stan The Wine Man

In a weeks time, I taste a boatload of wine (seriously). I lot of my friends think I’m lucky. Well, they’re right, and I wouldn’t give this job up for the world. The only thing that makes my job hard, is my feeling of responsibility to taste the samples given to me as quickly as possible and to put my reviews either in my Moleskine, on my Youtube channel (Stan The Wine Man TV), or right here on Stanthewineman.com. Here for your reading pleasure, are five wines that I have reviewed in my Moleskine (good or bad), this past week.

2017 Raimbault Domaine Du Pre Semele Sancerre (Loire Vallley, France)… $30.

White flowers and wet stone on the nose, joined by slight apple notes. A little challenged aromatically. Lots of white pepper behind wet stone and white flower notes on the palate, with a little apple and melon thrown in. A slight hit of honey-like viscosity on the mid-palate, balanced by medium acidity. Finishes fresh and dry with a hit of grass and white pepper lingering. (B/B+)

2015 Etude “Lyric” Chardonnay (Santa Barbara County, CA)… $22.

A little petrol on the nose, joined by melon, a big hit of white flowers and a pinch of pear and apple. A little funky on the palate, with with petrol in the background of pear and apple notes. Hits of butterscotch lie underneath into the finish where pineapple notes join the palate party. (B-/B)

2016 Etude “Lyric” Pinot Noir (Santa Barbara County, CA)… $22.

Major tobacco and char notes on the nose, with dark cherry notes in the backseat and a hint of Root Beer. Solid cherry notes on the palate, blended nicely with tobacco and a kiss of Root Beer. Nice flow across the palate with good balance of fruit and acidity. Spice notes sneak in on the back of the finish. (B+)

2017 Kiona Chenin Blanc (Columbia Valley, WA)… $15.

Apples and wet wool on the nose, with a backdrop of white flowers (carnations?). A little spritz on the palate with notes of sweet melon and apple. Fruit forward from the start, but finishes dry with a little tangerine action that lingers. (B-)

2017 Laroque Cabernet Franc (Cite De Carcassonne, France)… $13.

Stewed veggies on the nose with a solid backdrop of cherries and candied blackberries. Cherries and blackberries on the front of the palate, supported by edgy tannins. Red flower and citrus notes join up on the mid-palate into a solid finish where tobacco and veggie notes join in, with orange citrus notes lingering. Not smooth, but has a good edgy, rustic quality to it. (B+)

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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FRIDAY’S FIVE

Posted on January 18, 2019 by Stan The Wine Man

In a weeks time, I taste a boatload of wine (seriously). I lot of my friends think I’m lucky. Well, they’re right, and I wouldn’t give this job up for the world. The only thing that makes my job hard, is my feeling of responsibility to taste the samples given to me as quickly as possible and to put my reviews either in my Moleskine, on my Youtube channel (Stan The Wine Man TV), or right here on Stanthewineman.com. Here for your reading pleasure, are five wines that I have reviewed in my Moleskine (good or bad), this past week.

2016 Goose Ridge Vineyards G3 Red Wine Blend (Columbia Valley, WA)… $15.

Candied blackberries on the nose with dark cherries thrown in the mix. Spicy on the palate with notes of blackberries and cherries on slightly grippy tannins. Tobacco notes lie underneath with nice integration. Savory on the palate, somewhat old world in style with good balance. Really needs food. (B/B+)

2014 6 Furlongs Finish Line Red (Walla Walla Valley, WA)… $21.

Aromas of red flowers, currants and cooked meat. Very meaty on the palate. Currant notes on solid tannins front to finish, where spice and white pepper notes join up with a kiss of oak. (B-/B)

Non-Vintage Townshend Cellars T3 Red (Columbia Valley, WA)… $21.

Aromas of cinnamon, vanilla, currants, cedar and slight baking spices. Cedar and tobacco notes blend nicely with currants, spice and a kiss of vanilla mocha on the palate. Solid structure with sturdy yet approachable tannins. There is a slight hit of meat marinade on the mid-palate. Acidity gives it a lift on the fresh, long finish. (B/B+)

2016 Luke Syrah (Wahluke Slope, WA)… $25.

Bacon fat, boysenberries and plum on the nose with a little tobacco in the background. Bacon fat big time on the palate, with a little vanilla thrown in. A nice meaty texture in the mouth with notes of tobacco and a touch of char, blended with boysenberry notes. Nicely integrated acidity and a slight tannic grip on the back-end. (B/B+)

2017 Reverdy Sancerre Cuvee Les Coutes (Loire Valley, France)… $26.

Melon and wet stone on the nose with hits of dusty apples. On the palate there is a nice balance of acidity, fruit and minerality. Solid apple and melon notes, with nicely integrated subtle acidity. Peach notes sneak in on the mid-palate, leading into a crushed rock driven finish with apple notes lingering. (B+)

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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BITS & BOBS

Posted on January 14, 2019 by Stan The Wine Man

I have come to the conclusion that Friday’s Thirteen, an article I do each Friday with my review of thirteen wines I’ve tasted over the course of a week, needs to be renamed “Friday’s Five.” Who am I kidding? Most of you don’t have the time or patience to read through thirteen wine reviews. We live in a fast-paced society that screams for fast-paced information. I myself love to read wine reviews because it clues me in on certain wines that I might be interested in. It also gives me ideas on the type of prose I might use in my reviews as well. I’m a wine nerd, that’s for sure. I know there are many like me out there who would not mind reading through thirteen wine reviews. However, I’m going with the odds and shortening my Friday wine reviews to five. The original idea for Friday’s Thirteen was obvious. Every once in a while, the article would actually fall on Friday the thirteenth, which was kind of cool. I guess the point is, I want you to read my reviews, and it will be much easier if I only put five reviews out there each Friday for your perusal. If you have any thoughts on this, let me know in the comments. Am I on to something here, or do you want me to continue the thirteen thing? For now, I am going with Friday’s five, I think it will better.

I recently did a sherry review on my YouTube channel. It was a very cool assignment I gave myself. I had to do a ton of research before I shot it. I’m not much of a sherry drinker myself, but it is a part of the wine world and recently I tasted some I really liked. I now am on a mission to make it a part of my wine drinking experience. It is very versatile with food depending on the style of sherry you choose. Fino and Manzanilla are the lighter and drier versions. They pair well with sushi or a lighter fish dish. Amontillado has a little more complexity, and Oloroso is also complex but sweeter. I immediately thought of a spicy Asian dish with the Oloroso, something I will try in the near future. PX or Pedro Ximenez is just otherworldly. One of the best dessert wines you will put to your lips. I love Port of course, but if you haven’t yet tried a PX, I would encourage you to seek it out.

The excitement builds everyday as our trip to England, Paris and northern Italy gets closer. I am very pumped to make the trek to the land of Barolo and Barbaresco. I hope to set up a couple of interviews with either the wine maker or owner of the wineries we will be visiting. We will also be staying in Verona in the Veneto region, where the wine of the Pope, Amarone is produced. The owner of the store I work at simply adores Amarone. I have to say that I agree with his adoration. However, this region is also famous for the likes of Prosecco, Valpolicella (of which Amarone is the top dog), Bardolino and Soave. Susie loves Soave, so we will stop at one or two wineries there. Basically, I will have a ton of writing material from this trip as well as a few episodes for my YouTube channel. Of course, all work and no play is not a good thing. Susie and I are using this trip as our honeymoon, so there will be a lot of sightseeing and leisure time as well. I can’t think of a better person to travel the world with than my wife Susie. We have the best times together!

Cheers!

Stan The Wine Man

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STAN’S PICK FOR JANUARY 2019

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Stan The Wine Man

Since I am going to Italy in a couple months, how appropriate that I go there for my first pick of 2019. Not only is my “pick” from Italy, but it’s also from the region that I am visiting. I would like to tell you that it was on purpose, but I would be lying. I would say it is more on the serendipitous side. From the land of Barolo and Barbaresco comes this grape, not as famous as its aforementioned cousins, but the most popular table red in that region. Kermit Lynch, a fairly famous importer once told me that he visited the region, and at every home, he had lunch or dinner, they served Barbera instead of the more famous Barolos or Barbarescos. Barbera is a fantastic food wine and can be drunk young, whereas Barolo and Barbaresco need time in the cellar. I discovered this little gem while on a quest to find wines for an upcoming tasting event.

January 2019 Pick Of The Month


2016 FontanaFredda “Briccotondo” Barbera (Piedmont, Italy)… $14.

Blackberries and perfumed currants on the nose, with a hint of raspberry, bark and tobacco in the background. Good acidity balanced with blackberry and raspberry notes on the palate that is quite intense. Tobacco notes join up on the mid-palate into an intense finish of licorice, blackberry and black raspberry notes hang around with the tobacco. Great balance and structure and mouth-watering. A perfect food red. Try it with anything Italian that involves a red sauce or lamb. Also a great burger or pizza wine. Personally, I enjoyed it all by itself as well. (B+/A-)

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man

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